#DGLookBack2025: Cleaning Up the Curve: How Iloilo cut dengue cases in 2025

By Mariela Angella Oladive

As 2025 comes to a close, dengue cases in the Province of Iloilo declined markedly, reversing early-year projections that warned cases could reach as high as 21,000 by yearend.

Health officials said the outcome was shaped not by a single program or one-time campaign, but by sustained clean-up activities, steady coordination, and shared responsibility across communities.

Data from the Iloilo Provincial Health Office (PHO) indicate that from January 1 to December 6, the province recorded 5,710 dengue cases and 21 deaths, a 51 percent decrease compared with 11,663 cases and 35 deaths during the same morbidity period in 2024.

The improvement came after a difficult start to the year.

During the first quarter of 2025, dengue cases rose sharply, prompting health officials to project that infections could reach 21,000 cases with up to 65 deaths if the trend continued.

The province was also entering the third year of the dengue cycle, a period historically associated with increased transmission.

IPHO chief Dr. Maria Socorro C. Quiñon said the early surge pushed authorities to intensify interventions as soon as the epidemic threshold was reached.

“This significant decline can be attributed to our better preparation and more aggressive action,” she said.

“We began the year at the epidemic threshold, which prompted us to strengthen coordination and intensify our dengue control measures.”

Central to the province’s response was Executive Order No. 29, Series of 2025, or “Limpyo Iloilo, Kada Lunes nga Lihok Kontra Lamok,” issued by Governor Arthur Defensor Jr.

The order institutionalized a province-wide clean-up campaign aimed at reducing mosquito breeding sites through regular, community-led activities.

Implemented alongside the Department of Health’s 4S strategy (Search and destroy breeding sites, Seek early consultation, Self-protection, and Support fogging in hotspot areas), the campaign emphasized routine action rather than one-off drives.

Under Limpyo Iloilo, barangays were instructed to conduct scheduled clean-up operations, intensified search-and-destroy activities, and closely monitored suspected dengue cases.

The PHO also held meetings with local leaders in municipalities with clustering cases and distributed larvicides, adulticides, and spraying equipment to support barangay-level mosquito control.

By the latter part of the year, IPHO data showed that while weekly cases fluctuated throughout the year, the overall trend moved downward until case numbers had fallen below the epidemic curve, allowing health officials to lift the dengue outbreak declared in August 2024.

Currently, among Iloilo’s 43 municipalities, Oton recorded the highest number of cases at 409, including one death.

This was followed by Janiuay (313), Dumangas (283, one death), San Joaquin (266), Calinog (255), Leon (239), Cabatuan (214), Pototan (209, two deaths), Lambunao (184, one death), and Ajuy (175).

Despite the decline, health authorities stressed that dengue remains a continuing public health concern.

“The earlier concern that cases might rise and reach as high as 20,000 did not materialize because of our collective effort. However, the 21 recorded deaths remain significant. As much as possible, we should have none,” Quiñon said in a statement.

She reminded the public to stay vigilant, emphasizing that dengue remains a year-round threat, especially with intermittent rains creating ideal breeding conditions for mosquitoes.